奥巴马取消对越南的武器禁运

U.S. President Barack Obama said Monday at a news conference in Hanoi with Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang "The United States is fully lifting the ban on the sale of military equipment to Vietnam that has been in place for some 50 years."

Obama said the U.S. will also help Vietnam remove landmines and Agent Orange remaining in Vietnam following the war between the two countries.

Agent Orange was a powerful mixture of chemical defoliants used by U.S. military forces during the Vietnam War that was later revealed to cause serious health issues, including birth defects, tumors, rashes and cancer.

Earlier Monday, Obama was formally welcomed to Vietnam by Quang at the Presidential Palace in Hanoi.

The American leader\'s meetings Monday with his Vietnamese counterpart and other senior officials are an indication of what analysts describe as the closest ties ever between the two countries.

Obama is in Vietnam for a three-day visit. After Vietnam, he will go to Japan.

He will be the first sitting U.S. president to visit Hiroshima, where the first atomic bomb was dropped in 1945. The U.S. president said in an interview with Japan public broadcaster NHK he will not apologize for the bombing.

奥巴马表示，美国还将帮助越南清除越战遗留下来的地雷和橙剂。

橙剂是一种效力强大的脱叶剂，美军曾在越战期间使用这种化学制剂，后来发现橙剂会严重损害人体健康，包括新生儿发育缺陷、肿瘤、皮疹和癌症。

星期一早些时候，越南国家主席陈大光在首都河内总统府为奥巴马举行了正式欢迎仪式。

奥巴马星期一会见陈大光和其他越南高层官员。分析人士说，这显示美越两国关系达到前所未有的紧密程度。

在结束对越南的3天访问后，奥巴马将前往日本访问。

奥巴马将是访问日本城市广岛的首位在任美国总统。1945年，美国在广岛投放了第一颗原子弹。奥巴马在接受日本广播公司采访时表示，他不会为原子弹轰炸广岛而道歉。